School report Clacton Coastal Academy Pathfields Road, , Clacton on Sea, CO15 3JL Inspection dates 18–19 November 2014 Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 Overall effectiveness This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Sixth form provision Good 2 Summary of key findings for parents and pupils This is a good school. The Principal and her senior leadership team have Disabled students and those with special skilfully steered the academy’s development with educational needs make good progress. ambition and drive so that teaching and The gap between the achievement of achievement have improved rapidly and are good. disadvantaged students and other students at the Governors provide effective support and challenge academy is closing quickly. to senior leadership. Students benefit from good teaching across a range Students enter the academy with low prior of subjects. attainment. By the end of Key Stage 4 in 2014, The overall effectiveness of the sixth form is good. more students made good progress in English and Students studying vocational subjects do better mathematics. Consequently, GCSE standards have than other students nationally and an increasing risen at a faster rate than national standards and number of sixth form students choose to go on to are now close to average. study at university. Relationships between students and teachers are positive, behaviour and safety are good and students are very proud of their academy. It is not yet an outstanding school because Although GCSE results are rising rapidly, they are There is not yet enough teaching that is not yet at least average overall. outstanding. A few teachers do not always give Numeracy skills are not applied as well as English students clear advice on how to improve their work skills in other subjects. or encourage them to develop the quality of their Some students do not show an eagerness for spoken English. learning to enable them to make even more Occasionally, teaching assistants do not fully progress and so raise their achievement. understand how best to support the learning of students. Inspection report: Clacton Coastal Academy, 18–19 November 2014 2 of 11 Information about this inspection Inspectors observed teaching in 45 lessons, some conducted jointly with senior leaders. A tour of classes was also conducted with a senior leader examining the behaviour of students in lessons. A range of documents was analysed by inspectors, including: those relating to safeguarding, students’ progress, attendance, the academy’s self-evaluation and development plan, its policies for managing teachers’ performance and pay, and for improving teaching and learning. Inspectors looked closely at students’ books and coursework, especially in English and mathematics. Inspectors took account of 72 responses to the online survey, Parent View, seven written comments from parents and 128 responses to the staff survey. Discussions were held with the Principal, other senior and subject leaders, several groups of students, a representative from the local authority, the regional director of the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) and the Chair of the Governing Body and other governors. Inspection team Lesley Daniel, Lead inspector Seconded Inspector Zahid Aziz Additional Inspector John Mason Additional Inspector Neil Stanley Additional Inspector David Wolfson Additional Inspector Lesley Daniel is appointed as an Additional Inspector, under the powers relating to additional inspectors, in paragraph 11 of Part 2 of Schedule 12 to the Education and Inspections Act 2006 Inspection report: Clacton Coastal Academy, 18–19 November 2014 3 of 11 Full report Information about this school Clacton Coastal Academy is a larger than average-sized secondary academy. The academy is sponsored by the Academies Enterprise Trust. The academy has specialisms in media and in English. Most students are White British and speak English as their first language. The academy is in an area of high deprivation and mobility with one in four students starting after Year 7. More than half of the students at the academy are supported by pupil premium funding. Pupil premium is extra funding provided by the government for some groups of students including those known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority. This is well above the national average. Almost a quarter of students are disabled or have special educational needs. This is well-above average. A very small number of KS4 students go off site to study vocational subjects at Colchester Institute, Rally Sport Engineering Academy, Skillforce, Butterfly Lodge and Willow Farm. The academy meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 11. What does the school need to do to improve further? Improve teaching so that more is outstanding to raise the achievement of all students by: encouraging all teachers to enthuse students of all abilities with an eagerness for learning so that they reach their full potential ensuring that all teachers give students opportunities to talk through their ideas fully and encourage them to use standard English when it is appropriate making sure that all subjects provide opportunities for students to practise mathematical skills in subjects other than mathematics so that numeracy develops as rapidly as literacy ensuring that all teachers give precise and clear advice to students on how to improve and expect students to respond to this ensuring that all teaching assistants have the skills to support students effectively so that their progress is accelerated. Inspection report: Clacton Coastal Academy, 18–19 November 2014 4 of 11 Inspection judgements The leadership and management are good The Principal has provided inspirational leadership that has raised both aspirations and achievement at the academy. The drive and commitment of the Principal and her senior leadership team have united the staff and created a ‘can do’ ethos that has given students a belief in their own abilities. The academy has an inclusive and supportive culture for both students and staff which promotes equality of opportunity for all and encourages every teacher and student to be the best they can be. Responses to staff questionnaires during the inspection showed that staff are fully supportive of the Principal and her team. The academy has very effective systems for monitoring and managing the behaviour of students. Students are well supervised at breaks and lunchtimes and any poor behaviour is dealt with promptly. The behaviour and progress of the few Key Stage 4 students who attend part-time courses elsewhere are well monitored by senior leaders. Senior leaders have maintained a sharp focus on raising standards and strengthening teaching. This is supported by a robust system that rewards good teaching and tackles underperformance. Judgements of teachers’ effectiveness take full account of the progress students make in their lessons and are clearly linked to the national requirements of teachers. Subject leaders are held to account for progress in their areas and they track carefully how well students are doing in all classes. Varied and well-targeted support is put in place for teachers who still need to improve or develop their teaching. Training for all teachers on topics such as using questioning more effectively is ongoing and continues to improve the quality of teaching overall. Senior and middle leaders constantly track the progress of all groups of students. This information is used promptly to pick up any underachievement so that support can be put in place. A student might be provided with a mentor to boost their confidence or given small-group teaching to help them catch up with literacy or numeracy skills. Students’ needs are met very much on an individual basis and this has had a clear impact on the progress of all groups of students at the academy. Support for disadvantaged students is very effective. Pupil premium funding has been used imaginatively to provide a variety of support. For example, the provision of individual coaches to boost progress in English and mathematics, and residential events to build confidence and self-belief. The provision of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education at the academy has a huge impact on increasing students’ awareness and knowledge of the world and in preparing them for life in modern Britain. Students take a lead on deciding what topics are most relevant for them. They work in teams to provide resources for teachers on subjects such as sexual health, awareness of disability and body image, and spiritual values. For example, last year Key Stage 4 students made a video as part of an awareness campaign on homophobia. This year, a group of students is visiting Auschwitz to research, plan and resource a series of assemblies and lessons on the Holocaust. The curriculum provides well for the needs of students. Consequently, more students are choosing to take academic subjects, such as: history, French, German and science. The academy also provides a good range of vocational subjects, for example, hospitality and catering. This is similar in the sixth form where most students are given the opportunity to study a mixture of academic and vocational subjects. The academy’s arrangements for keeping students safe are robust and meet all statutory requirements. Staff are kept up to date with regular training which raises their awareness of issues, such as sexual exploitation. The Academies Enterprise Trust provides expertise in all areas of school leadership that can be used by the academy as needed. The Trust also provides opportunities for academy leaders to work in partnership with other schools and draw on their expertise. The local authority has provided good support to the academy this term on developing more effective Inspection report: Clacton Coastal Academy, 18–19 November 2014 5 of 11 provision in the sixth form.